The Most Dangerous Prey
by Fabius Maximus
Summary: Forget Kim. Worry about her mom.


The Most Dangerous Prey.

* * *

"Freaky!" Adrenna Lynn shouted as she departed. "How's that for some extreme sports, Kim?" Kim didn't reply. In fact, she couldn't say anything as she arched her back, frantically trying to breath. What was happening to her? They'd gotten Adrenna after she'd kidnapped Monique and Tara and the police were helping them. This time she'd be put away for good. Even through her confusion the memory caused Kim to snarl. The look on Monique's face had infuriated Kim—somehow, Adrenna had found out about her claustrophobia, and she'd been hysterical, incoherent, when Ron and Kim had gotten her out of the trunk of the car about to go into the crusher.

"Kim?" Ron shouted as he ran up to her, after disposing of the rest of the goons, goofy look nowhere on his face. "Kim, what's wrong?"

She couldn't say anything, couldn't talk. She wanted to breath needed to breath, but she couldn't and she was screaming for air, and everything was getting dark…. What had happened? Adrenna hadn't hit her that hard….

She felt Ron's lips on hers…he was kissing her? No, she could feel him forcing air into her lungs, breathing for her, but it wasn't helping, and now there were other people running to her. Ron must have called them. They were holding her hands down, keeping her from thrashing and putting something over her face…

"…Atropine…."

"Into the heart…" Voices. They made no sense, in the sparkling cavern her world was shrinking to.

"…c'mon Kim…" Kim felt, dimly, Ron holding her hand. She must be in a helicopter, and his face looked like he'd been crying. He shouldn't cry. Men always hated it when they cried, but she couldn't seem to say anything.

Then her eyes closed, and it was night.

* * *

"Ronald?" Ron bolted upright from where he'd been sitting, in a daze.

"Dr. P? Dr. P! How is Kim, they didn't let me stay with her, is she ok, what happened-" Kim's mother held up a hand, and Ron stopped, suddenly aware of how exhausted she looked. Kim's mom was always cool, and looked better than half the parents at school…but now…now she looked _old._

"Ron." Dr. Possible said, "First of all, Kim is alive, and you saved her life." She s smiled, "You breathed for her."

"Yeah… I mean, Adrenna Lynn punched her and Kim seemed fine but then she just…"

"She _wasn't_ fine, Ron…She'd been dosed with Sarin nerve agent."

"Nerve gas?" Ron paused, "But nothing happened to me…"

"that's because it doesn't have to be a gas—in fact wearing a gas mask won't help you if it gets on your skin." Dr. Possible shrugged, "There was bruising on Kim's stomach—was Adrenna wearing gloves?"

"Ye-yes."

"They had probably been impregnated with a liquid form of the agent. Kim came very close to dying."

"But she'll be okay now, right?" Ron said, his voice cracking. Dr. Possible sighed.

"Nerve agents, Ron… they have long term effects. We don't know right now, at least she isn't blind…but…" She paused, "we just don't know…" She continued, repeating herself. "You can see her now." Ron was up and moving before the words were completely out of Cathy's mouth.

Inside the room he paused. Kim had an oxygen mask on and was hooked up to readouts that were softly beeping away.

"Hi, KP…" He said.

"Hi Ron…" Her voice came out slurred slightly. Kim swallowed, and continued. "Cannt talk too whell…" Ron looked up at her mother. Cathy nodded. "We have you on some drugs to counteract any remaining effect of the nerve toxin, Kimmy, that's what causing it."

"Get better?" Kim asked.

"Yes, Kimmie." Her mother assured her. "This is solely an effect of the drugs." Ron noticed that Kim's mother didn't say that there wouldn't be _other _effects.

"Kim…sorry." Ron said.

"Kissed me…" Kim responded. Kim's mother looked over at Ron.

"I breathed for her…" Ron said. Cathy smiled.

"I know, Ron…and I wouldn't have been upset at the other." She leaned over and gave Kim a kiss on her forehead. Kim smiled, but Ron could see her eyelids fluttering with the effort to stay awake.

"I'll come back later KP…" Kim smiled, as she fell asleep.

"Ronald." Cathy said, "Could you stay with her until her father and the Twins can get in?" They'd been on the other coast when the fight had occurred and were on a flight right now.

"Sure…aren't you going to stay here?" Cathy smiled.

"I'll be back, but there is some…thing I have to do." She paused, "Don't worry, I won't be gone long and I'll be here in the morning."

"OK." Ron said, and took up station by the bed of Kim. Cathy smiled, and left the room.

Once outside, her face changed, a feral expression neither Kim nor Ron had ever seen coming over it.

* * *

…._what?_ Adrenna Lynn muzzily tried to think. She'd been staying in the hide out until things were calm enough for her to leave. OK, so she hadn't killed the brat—not yet, but Kim Possible would have been on her case if she was walking so maybe she wasn't' walking. Maybe the agent had done more damage—someone as body proud as the stuck up little chit of a girl being bedridden… delicious! She'd see what it was like to have everyone leave her once she wasn't able to help them anymore.

But then she'd smelled something in the air and moments later had passed out. Now she was on her bed, but she couldn't move…she couldn't feel her arms or legs…and she couldn't even close her eyes, as much as she wanted to against the light.

"Is the light too bright?" A voice asked. Adrenna didn't say anything, couldn't say anything. Then she saw the head of a redheaded woman…Kim's mother…what was she doing here? She was wearing some kind of full body suit, dark colored, like a sports bike outfit, only looking more…military. She smiled. "I'm happy I can still fit in this…" Then she paused, "But we need to talk." With that, Kim's mother sat down by the bed, but kept leaning over, so Adrenna could see her.

"Hello Adrenna… I have to admit I'm happy that you're going to be so willing to sit still for our little talk…" She paused, "You know, I haven't exactly been honest with Kimmie over what I used to do… I don't think she would understand, do you?"

_What is she talking about…she's a doctor._

"I mean, I don't think even James' knows everything… of course, Nana does." She smiled, but somehow it didn't touch her eyes. "I'd hoped that I could have put this all behind me… people really don't understand what they are talking about when they toss off comments about 'wetwork', do they?"

_Wetwork__ But that's…_

"Kimmie would certainly never understand…" She sighed, "Which is why we're having this little conversation." She laughed, "You see, I can't shield Kimmie from what she chooses to do, as much as I want to, so I'll support her…but you…" She sighed, "You have rather transgressed the boundaries I'm prepared to overlook…" She clucked to herself. "Kidnapping Kim's friends, especially what you did later—Monique will be years recovering… Trying to kill Kim, using such a dastardly weapon." She laughed softly.

_Why can't I move?_

"I mean, it may sound like a meaningless distinction, but nerve toxin poisoning is a very ugly way to go…as you well knew. I checked your diary, after all…but you should have just gone for the lethal dosage if you wanted her dead... instead of wanting to cripple her."

_Read my diary?_

"But…I have a problem. I'm a doctor now, you see, and I can't break that oath." She paused, "But you're terribly dangerous and I won't let you get off… and since you gave me the idea…"

_What idea? WHAT IDEA!_ Adrenna screamed inside her head.

"I dosed you with a neurotoxin of my own—far, far more sophisticated than what you used. We used it when we needed a realistic looking stroke, you see, and it breaks down, leaving no trace, it can also do...other things. The only way to reactivate the nerves is a drug that is found in no hospital pharmacy." She put a finger on Adrenna's nose. "Don't worry, you won't die….you just no longer have any control over any voluntary muscles."

_What? No! How…_

"How long?" Dr. possible asked, as if she could read Adrenna's mind. "Forever, dear. Forever. Don't worry—you'll be found before you die of starvation, and I'm certain that the hospital they put you in will understand how to keep you from dying, and you'll have a long, full life ahead of you to…think." She got up and left Adrenna's field of vision.

_Think? That's hell…._

"I may even find a way to "cure" you, since I have the antidote..." She paused, her voice getting distant. "But maybe I won't. I'm _very_ angry about what you did to my daughter and her friends." A soft laugh, "But my oaths are intact… I haven't killed you."

_Kill me, Please. _

The lights went out and Adrenna would have shrieked if she could, but she couldn't, lying on top of her bed. There was one last soft comment from Cathy.

"You should have realized Adrenna…the most dangerous prey is that which is defended by its mother…."

* * *

Kim was sitting in bed, trying to eat a meal, but her hand's kept shaking as she brought the food to her mouth. Ron helped her, but Kim grumped.

"How long is this going to go on?" She said.

"For a while, Kimmie." Her mother said. "But I think you'll be able to recover fully."

"I'd better…what if Adrenna Lynn tries again?" Kim said. Cathy frowned at the mention of the name.

"I…" Ron started, "Don't think that's going to be a problem."

"What?" Kim asked, "Ron, how can you say that."

"The police found her a day ago…."

"They did? How did they capture her…"

"It…" Ron stopped.

"They didn't capture her, Kimmie." Her mother said, "I guess Adrenna wasn't as clever fooling with nerve agents as she thought she was. She's completely paralyzed."

"What?" Kim asked. Ron nodded.

"She can't even close her eyes—I heard a doctor mentioning that they'll have to figure some way to open and close them or they'll either get dehydrated or stay closed all the time. I saw…" He paused, and shivered.

"Paralyzed?" Kim said, "For good?"

"That seems to be the case." Her mother said, "But you concentrate on getting better." Kim looked over at her mother.

"That must be horrible…" She said, "I…I couldn't even imagine what it would be like.'

"Sometimes terrible things happen." Cathy said, "And sometimes they happen to people…who deserve them."

"Do you believe that?" Kim asked, and there was a flicker of…something in her mothers eyes. Kim couldn't quite place it, but it seemed cold, and unyielding, like a diamond.

"Yes, Kimmie…but don't worry, maybe we'll figure out a way to cure her…but no promises."

"OK…."

"And now, since you look like you're not hungry again, I'm going to toss Ron out of here while we have a physical."

"Does he have to go?" Kim had gotten very attached to Ron.

"Unless you want him to help you bathe…"

"_Mom!"_

"Um… I'll be outside, KP…"

As she helped Kim to the bathroom, Dr. Possible thought a moment about her statement.

_Oh Yes… some people **do** deserve horrible things to happen to them. Maybe even me, one day. _But it was worth it. Because there was nothing she would not do to protect her child…especially from threats that Kim herself wasn't ready to face….

* * *

End. 


End file.
